The present invention generally relates to verification in computing systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to systems and methods for verification using encoded data glyphs.
Data glyph technology is a category, like bar coding, where data is embedded for use in image applications. Data glyph technology encodes digital information in the form of binary 1's and 0's that are in turn rendered in the form of indistinguishable shaped marks such as small linear marks. Each mark generally represents a digit of binary data. U.S. Pat. No. 6,915,020, the disclosure of which is incorporated by reference, discloses glyph technology and usage thereof.
In many computing systems, including casino gaming devices, it is often desirable to verify one or more components including hardware, software, and/or firmware of the system. That is, verification allows one or more components of the system to be shown to be operating correctly and/or in a previously approved form and/or has been approved in a particular gaming jurisdiction. Verification may be viewed to include validation and authentication. The former may refer to a form of verification that includes checking that the component being validated originated from a known or trusted source and that the component has not been tampered with. Authentication may refer to a form of verification that includes determining that a component comes from an approved, known, or trusted source. As used herein, verification is intended to encompass the concept that a component is as it seems and has not been altered or corrupted. Authentication may encompass digital signatures or the like.
In gaming devices, regulatory agencies often will require that currently running gaming software be at least verified. Currently, the cabinet of a gaming device must be opened in order for the device to be verified because physical access to the verification interface is restricted. The current verification process, including stopping game play at the device, opening the cabinet, and performing the verification, is time consuming. The game personality memory device such as an EPROM must be removed from the game and connected to a device to compare and verify the data. In addition, the down time required may result in lost revenue since the game has been removed from play.